Former President Mahama sympathises with flood victims, condemns govt’s inaction

 The flagbearer of the Nation­al Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has sympathised with victims of the recent flood that ravaged the country.

Persons in various parts of the country especially in the Great­er Accra Region were affected during flash floods last week.

The former president in a statement issued in Accra described the floods as disheart­ening and blamed the occurrence on the government’s lack of commitment and ideas to resolv­ing the perennial damages caused.

“It is profoundly disheartening to witness the annual recurrence of these floods, with the toll on lives and property steadily increasing. The ability to prevent or minimise such disasters should be a priority for any responsible government. Unfortunately, the Akufo-Addo administration has repeatedly demonstrated its lack of commitment towards imple­menting effective measures to address this recurring menace.

“The administration has run out of ideas for ameliorating the situation. Today, even with the shortest burst of rainfall, areas previously immune to the flood­ing menace experience severe de­struction from the raging waters. We are witnessing an increase in flooding, especially in the cities, despite the huge funds injected into flood control by foreign partners such as the World Bank and from the domestic budget.”

Mr Mahama urged the gov­ernment and relevant agencies to adopt strategic and proactive measures to solve the situation.

“Our firm belief is that tragedies of such magnitude can be prevented through proactive measures such as implementing appropriate regulations, good waste management, and investing in the construction and man­agement of sustainable drainage systems.

“We call on the government to take immediate action to rectify the systemic failures that have contributed to these floods.”